Pokemon – Malaysia’s customs chief reminds citizens about undeclared goods, saying personal items are ‘not a magic spell for duty-free immunity’
A recent seizure of more than S$30,000 (US$23,000) worth of Pokemon cards from a Singaporean at Changi Airport has led Malaysian authorities to caution that returning citizens would face the same issue.
Singapore‘s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said in a social media post titled “Gotta catch them all!” – in a nod to the Pokemon catchphrase – that its officers at Changi Airport had detected a large quantity of assorted Pokemon trading cards, believed to be for collection and resale, while screening baggage on October 10.
A 25-year-old Singaporean man was directed to the baggage screening area in Terminal 1 for screening but told officers he had nothing to declare in his luggage.
“A thorough check uncovered assorted Pokemon trading cards worth more than S$30,000 in total value,” the post said.
All items brought into Singapore are subject to a goods and services tax of 9 per cent, according to a report by government-funded The Straits Times newspaper. However, Singaporeans and permanent residents can receive import tax relief of up to S$500 based on the duration of their trip abroad.
The incident led Malaysians to question whether similar rules would apply to them when returning home from a holiday, prompting Customs Department Director General Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin to clarify its position on Monday.
Almost everything brought into the country was taxable at the border, she told the New Straits Times. “Personal belongings are not a magic spell for duty-free immunity.”
Air travellers have a duty-free allowance of a litre of alcohol, three pieces of new clothing, a pair of new footwear and food items capped at 150 ringgit (US$36).
Anything else will be exempted only up to 1,000 ringgit in total value. Beyond that, duty, typically at 10 per cent, will be levied based on the goods’ declared value.
Pokemon or sports trading cards are classified as playing cards and are liable to 10 per cent import duty, 10 per cent sales tax and 10 per cent excise duty if their declared value exceeds 1,000 ringgit.
“If the cards are newly purchased abroad and their value is above the permitted limit, duty will be imposed. This applies even if travellers consider them personal items,” Anis told the Malaysian newspaper. “New purchases abroad above the permitted limit must be declared.”
According to Anis, the most commonly undeclared items seized at airports are new electronic devices, branded clothes and handbags, cosmetics, fragrances, watches, jewellery, gifts, food and alcohol.
“There is no loophole. Any item above the traveller exemption cap is taxable at the border,” she warned.
There has been a surge of interest in Pokemon cards among collectors globally, according to The Straits Times report on October 14.
According to data from analytics firm Card Ladder, rare Pokemon cards have given returns of 3,821 per cent since 2004 – almost eight times more than the S&P 500 index, which gained 483 per cent over the same period.
In January, a launch event for the latest Pokemon Prismatic Evolutions card at the Pokemon Centre in Changi Airport’s Jewel had to be cancelled for security reasons after a 1,000-strong crowd gathered, the Singapore newspaper reported.
The frenzy was revived in Malaysia in October, when Pokemon fan Damiral Imran made the news for selling his entire collection for 1.87 million ringgit, the Daily Express Malaysia reported.
When Toysbar, a popular card shop in the Malaysian suburb of Petaling Jaya in Selangor, released the Mega Evolution: Phantasmal Flames set in mid-November, the queue snaked round the block and many collectors had to go home empty-handed, the East Malaysian daily reported. They were looking to snare the gold Mega Charizard X EX, which was reselling for about 3,500 ringgit.
